Winter Weight for better traction - saw a neat idea.

[lmills]

Originally posted by FF1607

I was thinking about just throwing, and leaving, my mother in-law back there..... Plenty of dead weight... .

OOOHHH. You are treaded in dangerous ground







Psst, but I agree

 

[Blakers]

Lots of good ideas! I think I have a piece of RR rail laying around that could be made into a receiver hitch weight.



The pipe idea should work fine too. I've seen very heavy wall piped used as bumpers with ends welded in and fittings applied to make a nice air tank. You could easily put 2 or 3 hundred psi in there if you have compressor that will pump that high. Fill lots of tires with that air.



The suitcase weigh idea is great - very adjustable and easy to do if you have the weights. Keeps the weigh toward the center too.



A guy I bought a snowplow from had a Ram (gas). He used a piece of 4" solid bar and mouned it across the truck under the bumper with some brackets and quick hitch pins to the truck frame. It was pretty heavy and did not rely on the receiver. He just lifted it up with a floor jack with need and put some pins in. It counter weighted for his plow.



The weight right in the back looks very intimidating to the tailgater, so that serves it's own purpose. Perhaps I have an intimidating piece of farm construction equipment part laying around that I could use for this. Makes a great grill ornament for that yuppie following behind too close.

 

[WadePatton]

Re: Polar Moment of Inertia!

Originally posted by Vaughn MacKenzie

I think adding significant weight back at the rear bumper is NOT a good idea. By doing so you significantly increase your polar moment of inertia, ie, a lot of weight at maximum radius from the centerline of your vehicle. Simply put, the rear of your truck now acts as a pendulum. As you take a corner, the weight will want to continue in a straight line. What does that do when the road's a bit slick? Sends your hiney straight into the ditch!



A friend used to have a '79 Toyota Supra...



Vaughn

Not to worry, some of us have experience with 911's and hanging the tail out. Oversteer is always more fun than understeer.

 

[Doug]

I made a frame out of some 2*4s and a 4*8 sheet of plywood. I place 8 24"*30" sidewalk blocks into the frame. Gives a nice flat surface for carrying things, and the frame holds the sidewalk blocks from moving around, and the ply protects the truck bed. Total weight depends on the type of sidewalk blocks you use, but is over 700lbs.

Doug

 

[MarkF]

I use 6 of those quickcrete tube sand bags of sand they sell at home depo. It seems silly to buy sand, but they are pre packaged, 80 lbs each, they don't slide much after they get wet and freeze, and they are easy to handle in and out of the bed etc... . Used to use a whole bunch of 5 gallon pales full of sand in a big 4'X4' crate in the back of my F 350 when plowing snow. The 5 gallon buckets were also esy to handle in and out of the truck when I needed the bed.

 

[GSchlegel]

I have 20 sand bags in the front 2/3 of the bed. Mixture of 68#, 70# and 80#. So 1,400# plus. Dually needs lots of weight due to more sq. in. ground contact.



I'm still concerned about putting much weight behind the axle. I think you'll have too much oversteer when you don't want it. When I was in college (many years ago) I drove school busses (68 passenger). With that long overhand at the rear it was a bear when slick. Once I turned very slowly onto a residential street and lost it. Front bumper was over one curb and rear bumper was over opposite curb. Went sideways down that street for a block! Thank heaven there were no cars parked on the street that day! Of course when I finially got it squared away, the kids wanted me to do it again!!!



All I'm saying is, just be carefull!

 

[Bob Cochran]

How about strapping in a 55 gallon plastic drum filled with water. 2 drums if you think you need it!!!

 

[Blakers]

You could fill your rear tires with calcium chloride

 

[Ben Rumson]

Good posts...

One thing I'd like to remind the readers.



"Collateral Damage" is a KILLER ! I've had the misfortune of getting into a head on collision at 60 mph - both vehicles! We were both wearing belts and both survived the wreck. Each vehicle was major totaled. We were broken up fairly bad and it took each of a good year and several surgeries and therapy to get back into operating condition. This wreck was the most violant, gut wrenching thing I've ever been through. Knowing you're about to get CREAMED is an aweful feeling.



When I could walk again, I went to see my car. The 6x9 speaker boxes that were BOLTED to the rear deck were torn completely free from the deck and one of them had smashed the inside windshield just to the right of the rear view mirror - head high! Another foot the the left and could very well have taken my head with it. "Objects in motion... tend to stay in motion"



I appreciate the good feed back this post has generated. There have been lots of good ideas. Thanks for the replys and suggestions.



But, as for my self, personally, "ANYTHING" loose in the bed is a hazzard. Headon collisions are extremely VIOLANT and laws of phsics come into play that can kill! It's just not worth it. I would have never dreamed that my speaker boxes could have toarn free from my rear deck, but they did.



Thanks for mentioning the PMI as a factor to consider. This should be noted. Readers should factor this into their decisions in evaluating one method over another. I still prefer the hitch or under the bed pin-on method over something loose in the bed - even a flat sheet of steel - "YES", it can get airborn in a collision.



I use my bed ALL the time. I don't want to mess with bags, buckets, etc. getting in my way or in ATV's way. A receiver hitch weight will give me the traction I want, and won't take ANY space out of the bed. I'm even going to weld a small flat step in the middle to help getting in and out of the bed. If it's too heavy to lift by had, I'll use my floor jack to get in on and off.



And... in the even of another wreck, it'll have a lower center of balance than the bed (another point not mentioned). It'll be hooked directly to the frame. No kenetic energy lose by objects in the bed.



Any other suggestions?

 

[kiwi bird]

What about the spare tire holder - could you add weight there?

 

[DiTrani]

500 # on the hitch might balance out a 4x4, but if you're looking for real traction with 2wd, you'll need more weight than the stock hitch can handle. I've experimented with weight and with 600 # in the bed there wasn't a great deal of improvement. With and estimated 1600 #, it felt like it would claw through most anything.

 

[JWhitcomb]

Gee Ben, all that gold from under the saloon would make a dandy weight. LOL

 

[illflem]

Originally posted by kiwi bird

What about the spare tire holder - could you add weight there?

That cheap cable barely holds up the spare, I wouldn't want to test it with any more weight.



I use a 1000 lb piece of concrete with angle iron on the sides to form a H. The angle iron rides on either side of the wheel humps to keep it from moving. Two large eye bolts serve to tie it down and lift it in/out. Helps to have a forklift though...

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Originally posted by 243

It has been a few years but I believe Willyslover had a few bags of frozen sand or kitty litter in the bed of his truck when he went off the road and hit a tree.



If I remember correctly, the 40-50 lb frozen bullets caused a lot of damage to the cab.



Vaughn, do you remember this?

Yes, I saw his rig at his place, the back of the cab really took a beating and was pushed forward a foot or more. I would agree leaving weight loose in the bed is not a good idea.



For those who've tried added weight at the rear bumper and don't have handling issues, then that looks like a safer alternative. I thought I should throw up a caution for everyone to keep in mind incase it wasn't given consideration.



911s have minimal understeer compared to my buddy's POC Supra Understeer is always a lot more fun If not, we'd all be driving FWD cars



Vaughn

 

[Ted Constantine]

Bill what are the dimmesions, roughly on that 1000lb concrete block??

 

[illflem]

Didn't Willyslover also say that the damage to his body would have been less if he hadn't got hit in the head by a flying sandbag?



Ted the slab is 48"x40"x3. 5"thick and was an accident. Had some extra concrete in a truck load and nowhere to put except in some 2x4 frames that hold bundles of pvc pipe together for shipping. If I had known what I was going to do with it I would placed some plywood under the frame before pouring the concrete in. The way I did it came out with rocks and weeds sticking in the bottom. I just hammer drilled and used expansion bolts to hold the angle iron on. Drilled all the way though for the eye bolts and chiseled out a countersink for the nuts/washers so the slab would ride flat.



If you have it planned for a traction weight from the beginning you could just use bent rebar for the tie down eyes and L shaped anchor bolts to attach the angle iron.

Suppose you could also use 2x4s or pipe instead of the angle iron.



If you do this please tie it down, damage will be major if 1000 lbs comes though the rear window.

 

[MarkF]

If you do this please tie it down, damage will be major if 1000 lbs comes though the rear window

Just curious... not bustin ball joints, but what do you use to tie down a 1000 lb slab of concrete to keep it from continuing its journey at 60 MPH when the rest of the truck comes to a sudden stop? (hope it never happens!!)

 

[QRTRHRS]

No perfect solution is there?

The one issue with a hitch mounted mass of weight would be if you got to sliding into someone else. Imagine doing a 180 and whacking someone?



I keep my aux tank filled with 100 gallons. I can see the anchor welds getting ripped away should I slide into something.



When I know I am going to be running in snow and want some more weight, I throw some horse mats over the axle. At 100 lbs each, they stay supple in cold weather. In an accident, they might move around but their energy would quickly dispel. They will give you a hernia moving them though.

 

[RBrunson]

Ya'all have got me paranoid now with all this stuff moving and flying around, I will leave my truck in the shop for the winter and drive the Rabbit, handles good in the ice and snow, but sure hope nobody hits me, crushed beer can comes to mind.

 

[Whitmore]

Gents, you are scaring the heck out of me!!!

I agree that added weight to the rear or bed of the truck is great in the winter but please what ever you do



BOLT IT DOWN



I have been on to many winter wrecks and dont like alot of what I see.



I use a 60 gallon fueltank/toolbox combo and it makes a huge difference and I use the additional weight as well.



cheers, Kevin